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"What I saw when I looked out to see what Billy was staring at so intently was Glenn and Ami Whitesson," Ross said to Dana, continuing the story he had started before the waitress came. They sat and looked out over the rough seas crashing on the jagged rocks below the diner’s deck. "Like all of us, Billy had a terrible crush on Ami Whitesson, and seeing her with Glenn was a slap in face, I'm guessing. I know it was for me. But knowing what I know now, Billy was in deeper than I was."

"Glenn had an orthodontist appointment that afternoon, to get his wires checked and tightened and sometimes, it took a long time, because first he had to wait his turn, and then it was really slow, the torture they put him through in there. I never had braces," Ross said, "My parents could not afford it."

"Same here," Dana interjected.

"But I waited for Glenn, either by myself or with the others of the 'Four Musketeers,' as people often referred to us. At the time, I was glad my parents were low on cash and I didn't have to go through that myself. I was kind of a coward.

"I don't believe that for a second!"

"Believe it," Ross said, firmly. “The day we started our tern research, we'd agreed to go ahead without Glenn; he said he'd join us later. He didn't say he'd be bringing Ami along. Needless to say, it was a distraction from the terns.

"I yelled out, 'wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, fat boy!"

"Was he fat?" Dana asked. Glenn didn't look like he'd ever been fat.

"Nope. He was thin as a rail. We called him 'fat boy' to mock his skinniness."

"I should stop interrupting," Dana said, “sorry."

"They were coming toward the little beach in Glenn's parent's kayak. Neither of them had their life preservers on. Finley Jones and Brigand Weldon came roaring up in Brigand's father's speedboat and swamped the kayak.”

“Brigand? What kind of name is that? God, Ross, shit, I’m so sorry, I interrupted YET again!!!”

“It’s okay, at least I know you’re listening. His real name was Brigham, as in Brigham Young—I think it was actually Brigham Young Weldon. I think he was . . . ah . . . Mormon, Latter Day Saint. Only he was no saint. Not by anyone’s stretched imagination . . . “

“Which was why you called him Brigand . . .” Dana slapped herself in the face.

“Don’t DO that!” Ross said.

“I interrupted again,” Dana groaned. Ross took both her hands.

“So Brigand and Finley—Finley means ‘sunbeam,’ believe it or not, and he was no sunbeam—totally swamped the kayak. Glenn and Ami were both good swimmers. Glenn popped up like a cork, but Ami disappeared. “